AriFerrari
Forum Replies Created
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Tacha, thanks for the feedback. I actually just got back from buying a similar product. I hooped in them for a few minutes and the area they covered had no sweat but just below it was a small dot. Hopefully I can figure out perfect placement tomorrow! Thanks for the words of encouragement too!
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adAstra, I own 2 pairs of the VS Pink yoga shorts, I bought them at the same time and to be honest I don't like using them for pole although that's what I originally got them for. Length wise, they work fine but my big issue is the fold-over at the waist. I also have a big booty, but a smaller waist. The fold-over always ends up unfolding and flipping up over my stomach. I guess it's because the butt fits nicely but the fold-over is a little loose thanks to my curves, I tried on smaller ones but my butt was not working in them. It's especially aggravating on the pair that has a sequined "PINK" logo on the back of the fold-over, it flips up and scratches me!
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When I do the embrace, I grasp my shoulders with my hands to lock myself into place, like I'm hugging myself tight. Not sure if that's cheating lol but it makes me feel secure enough. Also, arching your back to push the stomach into the pole, like others have suggested, also creates another grip point. You can see what I mean about hugging yourself in my video at about 1:19:
https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/503ec2a5-29dc-42fb-b3d9-28e80ac37250
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I'm slightly confused at who is being blamed here for this so-called "step back" in the presentation of pole dancing? Neither Rihanna, the video director, or filming crew really owe anything to the pole community. The pole dancers in this video auditioned and chose to dance in a video ABOUT strippers and strip clubs. The pole dancers are the ones who chose to represent themselves and their pole dancing in this way. However, I'm not bashing them either. In fact, I don't really understand how this new division between the "stripper style" dancing and what I call the "olympic ambitious" style in our own community isn't just as counterproductive as the stigma we receive from outsiders.
Pole dancers borrow stripper moves, strippers borrow pole fitness tricks, and some strippers are pole dancers or vice versa. Does this mean strippers are suddenly banned from dancing on poles LIKE strippers because we've made a sport of it? I mean, isn't that kind of silly considering the origination of our apparatus?
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Thinking more on my last comment, I've realized why the flatline scorpio seems to really help with this move: ideally you want your torso up as high as you can get it towards your leg while in the scorpio because this makes its a lot easier to get that hand gripped behind your inside/hooked leg before opening up to extend.
@Michaelaarghh: I do think you need a certain amount of back flexibility for Allegra because you need to able to arch your back in order to open your chest and get your back to the pole. I don't think you have to be crazy flexible, though, just enough to reach around and find that foot. However, the more flexible you are and the more you arch your back, you'll lock into the pose better and it will look better. You can try with heels if you don't think you'll be able to reach your foot at first.
Good luck to you both!
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The main thing I have learned thanks to pole, yoga, and aerial is gratitude for my body. When I find myself critiquing something about my appearance, I remind myself of what my body is capable of and how strong it is! As pole dancers, we do things with our body that most people never even dream of. "Those thighs" hold you up in a cross knee release, girl! Don't hate em, thank em!
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Sounds good! And yes, good lines are pretty much how elongated a dancer makes their limbs to fill the space around them.
PS I sent you a friend request on here, I'm pretty sure you know a friend of mine named Trisha 😀 -
Not sure what you've attempted so far or if this is a hugely useful suggestion but I was a freak of nature who "accidently" got the allegra on a whim. Now, it is very easy to get into but when I first tried it I found that I couldn't just practice the allegra alone. I had to get into it transitionally from something else, preferably something where I had to kind of "swing" into a scorpio or flatline scorpio. For whatever reason, this really locked me into my scorpio enough to get a better range of movement to reach around for my foot. I have an older video of me going into it from extended butterfly if you need a visual of what I mean by "swinging" into scorpio:
https://www.studioveena.com/videos/view/4fdf70fd-1d50-4bf8-b24c-204c0ac37250Good luck!
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I checked out your trick and I'm impressed with your lines and the fact that you were even able to hold yourself up that way. I've personally not seen this done before. However, I would be VERY careful! One of the few times I've fallen was while learning the elbow grip ayesha. The caterpillar is not only good for conditioning to prepare for this trick, but it also puts you into the correct position to push up and away from the pole (which you need to do in order to get your hips away from the pole). Are you familiar with the basic butterfly? If so, your bottom hand should be used in the same way in this trick. Down, and pushing your body away, while your elbow grip is serving as a pull to hold you as you move your hips from the pole. It is meant to be a push/pull movement and requires a lot of core to maintain your balance. Again, if you can't caterpillar, I would definitely work on that before trying to move on with your ayesha as well as the basic and even extended butterfly. And when you are ready, ask someone to spot you by holding and stabilizing your hips when you are ready to try taking your legs off the pole. PS You have beautiful lines and pointed toes in your pic!
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This is one of the best videos I've seen to date on how to properly and SAFELY execute an inverted V:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euLwDYO3KXwI'm a huge stickler on encouraging everyone I know who poles or does aerials to focus on having good form in these inversions. I injured my shoulder at the beginning of my pole journey from doing this incorrectly and I'm still paying the price almost 2 years later!
Major tips:
*Hips in front of pole
*NEVER kick up
*squeeze the pole in your armpit and use that grip to help you up -
That's awesome, Saphyre! Forearm stands are a nemesis of mine as well! I've always been afraid of them and have gone up in them and missed the pole and toppled over twice! Once even resulted in some pretty serious carpet burn…ON MY FACE! It's an amazing thing to overcome a fear and accomplish something new! Would love to hear the tips you got from Aerial Amy, or see a video! Good job!
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I do not know if it is even necessary for me to make this disclaimer but I just want to for my own sake:
I RESPECT and APPRECIATE all of you, regardless of your lifestyle, relationship, sexual, or marital preferences and/or values. I am a huge believer in the idea that "it takes all kinds to make a world!"
BE KIND to each other! Studio Veena has always been a safe haven for me to discuss and express myself in so many ways. I do not want my original post to inspire any kind of negativity here!
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I noticed my original post was featured on Studioveena.com's Facebook earlier today so I thought I would pop in and update for anyone interested on how this all played out for me and my husband.
While I appreciated each different view/idea I was offered, we still decided to stick to our guns. He did not end up going to a strip club for any of the bachelor parties he attended. Notice I said "parties" 😉 While I can see how it would have been tempting to "grin and bear it", my initial post was not written in light of just one bachelor party. In 2012 my husband and I were involved in the wedding parties of several different friends and family members. One of these weddings even had two bachelor parties to accommodate groomsmen from different towns! Two of these weddings were one weekend after the other, as were their bachelor parties. Basically, my husband would have become a strip club veteran by the time it was all said and done!
I think what inspired my original, in-depth rant was the frequency in which we were dealing with this issue at the time. But while I may have never been frustrated enough to blog about it, I still would have come to the same conclusion even if it had only been a single incident. We ultimately both felt better about him not going. And in the end, I'm glad I did not go ahead and suck it up for the sake of social acceptance on this one.
While this may not even be something worth discussing in many relationships, it became a major and reoccurring theme for us last year. Eventually, I just decided that whether the majority or minority agrees with me on my views involving relationship issues does not really matter. In the end, it is really only about the people in the relationship working through their issues (big or small) with respect and consideration for the feelings and beliefs of their partner. This is exactly what my hubs and I did in this case.
So, when it comes to "the bachelor party/strip club dilemma," this is what works for us and will continue to work this year as we have another wedding plus bachelor/bachelorette parties to attend this September!
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Hmm…Thanks for all the feedback ladies.
I'm still really torn! I've never practiced on a powder coat. And now, hearing that it may amplify my sweating issues is really making me hesitate.
I've been offered such a great deal from a friends husband who paints bikes: only $60 to paint my pole. Yet it's my first and only one and I'm so afraid to commit to it.
Ugh!
Either way, I really appreciate everyone taking the time to give their opinions/share experiences!
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Hey Veeners! So I know with the new SV Pole having come out and Xpole planning to release a powder coated pole in the next year, there's been some talk already of the powder coated finish. I've read a lot of the posts here already but still wanted to put together some more opinions before deciding what to do with my Xpole. Currently, I practice only at home on my static, 50 mm Xpole sport chrome. I also have excruciatingly sweaty hands. I have poled for close to 2 years now and tried grip aids, different cleaners, dry hands… you name it. I just can't overcome my body on this one.
I have built a lot of strength with pole and aerial practice and I have really excelled in aerials (I recently did a legless climb to the top of the silks!) However, I've hit a plateau with pole. Body grip poses I can get, but anything that requires good grip with the hands is a no go. I really want to use my newly developed strength for bigger, better tricks. Not to mention, it's really discouraging and I've lost a lot of motivation because I feel like I'm at a stand still.
So onto my concerns with powder coating. This will be my only pole, so I don't want to limit myself to just strength. I love to dance too. Will the powder coat make static spins impossible? Also, I've read some comments about skin burns being more intense and even "tearing" skin…what will the powder coat keep me from doing because of this?
Either way I am limited, with chrome I suffer from inability to rely on hand grip but I want to know what limits I'm trading that in for with powder coating?
Thanks for feedback!
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I relate to this thread with both my pole and aerial dance. Recently, I had my second aerial performance which I did on hammock. My first performance, last December, was on Lyra. With that performance I attempted to use counts. I was proud of that piece because it was a first for me in a lot of categories (first aerial piece, first lyra piece, first performance of any kind of dance) and I'm still proud of it. However, looking back at it I find it to be a bit stiff and "robotic", as you termed it. My instructor encouraged us to hold poses for counts for the best chance to get good photos. I did get great photos from this performance, but in the aftermath I found the piece to be a little fragmented when watching video footage. For this second performance, I made a goal to flow more. I worked with another instructor who actually comes from a very traditional dance background, she in fact teaches dance and choreographs productions for my universities theater arts program however doesn't enforce counts. We listened to my song choice and chose movements that felt appropriate to the music and lyrics. As I worked more on the piece, I adjusted timing as I seen fit. In the end, this piece was much smoother and transitioned so much better. I got a lot of feedback about it being "graceful," which was my goal! In the end, I didn't get as many great photos since I was moving around more and such, however the actual performance was much more expressive and fluid than my first.
And just a side note, that same instructor has a really fun activity she has us do similar to yours with an aim to link movements and connect with music but also build endurance. She starts by showing us a move, then the next student does that move and adds one of their own, then the next student does the two moves and adds one of their own…and so on until you have a good couple minutes of choreo. She leaves music playing the whole time and you have to adjust as it changes. It's fun and an amazing workout!
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Thanks, Acrobat!
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Dwiizie, thank you so much for your advice. Everything you say is very logical! It's funny because normally I'm the type to be sharing advice and always telling someone else to do what makes them happy. I think I struggle a lot with relationships with friends who don't respect me because they know that I will bend over backward to accommodate. I have been feeling a little upset about this issue lately too and after reading your post, it really does make sense that these two issues are closely intertwined. I am going to work on "starting small" as you suggested and hopefully the anxiety surrounding it will dissipate. Thanks again!
Kasanya, also a good point!
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I did something similar for a friend's birthday. She bought me my first aerial classes for my birthday last summer, so when hers came around I wanted to incorporate that into her gift since its our favorite thing to do together. I got her a tote bag filled with knee high socks, a hand grip, some arnica cream (SO good for bruising), and a set of stretch/resistance bands. She loved it and has since told me that she uses everything regularly 😀
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Good to know. I have suffered from this in the past and still get that tinge occasionally. I will give this a go next time I feel that pain and report back!
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Pokeyd, dude, seriously, when I first saw my post on the homepage I had actually thought I mistakenly typed that too and was like "Oh sh*t, did I just post that!" Haha luckily not!
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Ladies,
Thank you so much for the support and feedback. I was nervous to bring this up because in the past I've had a lot of people who believe that there is no such thing as "cruelty-free meat" and vegan and vegetarian are the only way to go. I think that kind of attitude is intimidating to those of us who choose to remain meat-eaters but are interested in meat that comes from healthier, humanely treated animals. While I respect those who choose to meat-free or even vegan diets, I think that those who forsake any meat-eater is only scaring others away from their cause. I love that so many of the ladies on this site know the concept of "middle ground" 😀
I've taken the advice of those of you who said to check into local farms. Sadly, we don't have a Whole foods, Trader Joes, or any of that anywhere near us. However, we do live in the middle of no where and are surrounded by farms. Turns out, thanks to my research, I've found a farm literally minutes from mine and my parent's homes that prides themselves on generations of free range, antibiotic/hormone free cows, hogs, and chickens. There entire farm is actually run on "sustainable agriculture methods." Who knew this was literally all right under my nose?!
There are even times during the year they offer retail cuts, which is more ideal for me because our household is just my husband and I. We also don't have a deep freezer to invest in a half or whole cow, yet…Also, eggs and certain fruits and vegetables as well!
Thanks for all the ideas and information. I will share my findings. I plan to tour the local farm sometime soon, they are calling me back this afternoon with more info on tours, retail cuts, and products they have/offer. I will also look into the dairy aspect and see what options I have there. Raw milk is a new term to me (as most of this information is, sorry if I'm behind here!) but I've been told it's illegal in NC.
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I agree with those of you who said they dislike the V legged variation of the teddy. Also, the V sit. While I realize this is taught as a foundational move by a lot of instructors and I can do it/practice it myself, I just think both of these moves bring a little too much attention to the crotch! lol. Especially teddy, where you grab your inner thighs like your basically "pointing" to it! Just not an artistic/stylistic preference of mine.
Another move I don't find visually appealing: Remi Sit. I've never actually tried it. I know everyone says it's hard/painful and I'm def one of those dancers who love to torture themselves with moves like this, but I just don't think it looks good enough to bother with. LOL.
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Thank you ladies, I thought that I had been arching but when I think about it maybe I'm not leading with my chest through the whole drop. And OopseyDaisey, I think you are right, my feet are below me not behind me. I have practice tonight so I will focus on this and try to get a video.
Thanks again! -
Hi Dwiizie and Runemist,
I noticed your both saying that you are able to tuck but can't "tilt". I'm curious if this may have something to do with upper body/arm engagement during the invert rather than placement? Many people I've seen struggle with getting their butts up and over often fail to keep engaged arms through the entire invert. In my aerial class, our teacher calls these folks "saggers." Basically they stay engaged as they lift but than allow themselves to drop or relax into straight arms once they pick their feet up and can only get their toes pointed to the ceiling rather than the wall behind them. If this sounds familiar, try focusing on keeping your arms and upper body completely engaged as you tuck AND tilt, meaning arms bent at elbows, pole tucked into your armpit, and shoulders back and strong.
Either way, keep conditioning and practicing and you'll get it!
